The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-01-15
GROUND AND AUTHORITY OF THE
CHURCH,
BY REV. j. K. STREET.
Dallas, Texas

previously obtained from the days of
Constautine--an idea more nearly in
accord with the views of its author,
Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus taught no
creed except the fatherhood of God and
the brotherhood Of man. For nearly
300 years the pure and simple truth as
taught by him were held by the church;
and it was not until. the unholy mar
riage of church and state, that the cor
rupt dognas of heathenism were en-
grated on Christianity, which have
adhered to it more or Jess ever since.
Prior to the Reformation the church
had assumed to be the infallible expo
nent of divine truth. The reformers,
being religious skeptics, called in ques-
tion this assumption i they were brand
ed as "heretics" and accommodated.
But the reformers having expunged
what they conceived TO be the errors of
the church, adopted the remainder of
the creed, and Professionalism was or
ganized on the same basis as Catholic
ism. Although it discarded the infalli-
bility of the Pope, yet it virtually held
to the infallibility of the church, hold
ing that it alone had the right to Judge
in matters of faith and practice. Ev-
cry protest and subdivision of Protest
anism has resulted in greater religious
freedom and approached more nearly
the true standard assheld by the Uni
versalist church and sanctioned by the
gospel, which is to allow the utmost
liberty and freedom of conscience con-
sistent with good morals, making char
acter alone and not faith the test of
qualification for church membership.
If all the churches were organized on
this plan they would speedily sweep the
world.
Why has the Universalist church
made such slow progress The an
swer is : /. 1t has had the combined
power and influence of all other churches
to fight. 2. It has given all of its en-
ergies to the spread truth rather than
to building up a 3 - The result is
that its central ioea u The finaf triumph
of good over all evil and Of the ultimate
happiness of all mankind, as a result of
universal purity, has permeated all of
the churches and is in fair way to act
as the leaven which is to ''leaven the
whole lump"
The reformers rejected the miracles
of the church, because they could not
believe that God would choose this
means to establish what their reason
taught them was false. If they could
eliminate this and host of other dog
mas from the church and still maintain
a gospel plan of church organization,
why may not the errors which they re-
tanned be discarded without affecting it?
Catholicism is consistent, because
it believes in infallibility; but Prot
estantism is inconsistent because it
denies it, and yet blows both hot and
cold by saying virtually its articles of
faith are infallible, since it denies to its
members the right of free investigation,
1t always invites its members to 'step
down and out" when they presume to
call in question the truth of its teach
ings. 1t says the church can make OF
change its creeds and yet presents the
strange anomaly of communicating
any member who dares to attempt a
chaDge-denying to him the very right
which called Professionalism into exist
ence. Hence, Uniyersalists claim that
they are not a branch of Catholicism
nor an offshOot from Professionalism.
We have always contended for the free
dom of the gospel and accorded to our
members the fullest measure of liberty
consistent with good morals, but clearly
drawing the line between liberty and
license.
The spirit of skepticism inaugurated
by the reformers went into the extreme
of unbridled license, and the church
seized upon this as an excuse 20 return
to its old seat of infallibility, and it
soon witnessed the overthrow of its ex-
treme results, as taught by WoolstOn,
Chubb, Collins, Chesterfield, Boiling
broke, Shaftesbury, VOltaire, Paine and
others, and only Locke and Gibbon re-
manned undisputed masters of the field.
Rationalism Of that age was lacking in
cohesion, and this, coupled with the dis
position of the masses to cling to old
beliefs, was the cause of its temporary
failure but Locke and Gibbon by ad-
herring to the Piatonic philosophy did
more to establish the central truth of
the gospel immortality than all other
writers Of that day, as much as they
have been condemned by Christian writ
ers. The reaction came in the middle
of the present century; and now the
thinking people in the Protestant world
are unwilling to stake the truth of Chris
tianity on the evidences Of the marvel
Gus, preferriug to rest it on its internal
evidences Of fitness and its adaptability
to meet the moral wants of man and
herein lies the strength and power Of
the future Church-a power against
which the gates of hades and of all Of
the popular errors of Orthodoxy, SO
called, shall not prevail.
The religion Of to-day is practical;